3/28/2005

A math teacher responds

Please check out this excellent post by math teacher Jonathan Kallay of Bellevue, Washington, in which he responds to my commentary, "Is integrated math right for your child?"

I am not a math teacher, I don't even play one in the blogosphere. I'm not even very good at math, but I am a decent writer. That's how I got to be a technical writer instead of an engineer. I just want the best possible math education for my kids, given their interests, priorities, and talents. I also think that it would be a good idea generally to train enough engineers to create the iPods, Stow-n-Go minivan seating, medicines, and other lifesaving and life-enhancing technology of the future.

I purposely chose a question as the title of my commentary. I am raising what I think are legitimate questions about integrated math. Teachers and implementation are certainly as important as the curriculum. It is our responsibility as parents and taxpayers to find our own answers. I welcome thoughtful responses like these from math educators, mathematicians, students, staff, parents, school board members, legislators, and anyone else who can help Scholar's readers to understand the esoteric but important issues surrounding K-12 math education. You are the smart people, please enlighten us.